Smashed parsnips with mascarpone cheese.

It seems as though I’ve finally found a way to use mascarpone cheese that Jim and I both agree was rather tasty. Neither of us had ever even eaten a parsnip before, but I found a recipe on the Food Network that got amazing reviews, so I wanted to try it out. Plus, parsnips are loaded with vitamin C, folate, and potassium; and they’re a good fiber source too. With all the baking I do, we both figure we ought to throw some more vegetables into the mix. Now granted, adding the butter and cheese may defeat the purpose there, but still. The parsnips were on the plate. One side note, however – the kids didn’t like this at all. Don’t let that deter you though, because my kids are not exactly good eaters.

I’m thinking this is more of a special dinner sort of side dish. It was very good – sweet and rich. The carmelized onions really come through and taste great. Jim thought it’d be a perfect addition to Thanksgiving dinner and I was leaning towards Easter. I think the fresh parsley in there gives it a touch of Spring. But really, this would compliment any nice meal and it’s quick and easy to make.

Recipe: Smashed Parsnips with Mascarpone Cheese

(courtesy of Aaron McCargo, Jr. from Food Network)

1 pound parsnips, peeled and cut into 1-inch pieces

2 tablespoons butter

3 tablespoons sugar

1/2 onion, diced

1/2 cup mascarpone cheese

1/4 cup freshly chopped parsley leaves

1 1/2 teaspoons salt

1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Bring a large pot of water to a boil and add the parsnips. Cook until the parsnips are tender, about 10 minutes. Drain.

Heat a pot over medium-high heat and add the butter and sugar. Allow to melt together. Add onions and saute until caramelized, 6 minutes.

Add parsnips to pot. Turn heat off and add the mascarpone. Stir together and mash, adding parsley, salt and pepper.

I DID try it! Sort of… I had to make some adjustments. There was only one bag of parsnips left at the grocery store, so I also bought a bag of turnips. Also, there was no mascarpone cheese (I was getting groceries at Wal-Mart… I appreciate their grocery section, but sometimes they don’t have the specialty items) so I bought a tub of whipped cream cheese instead.

I boiled the parsnips and turnips, caramelized the onions as instructed, then mashed it all together with the cream cheese. Then I put it in a casserole dish, topped it with some grated cheese, and put it in the oven till the cheese was gold and bubbly!

It was SO GOOD! Sorry that I didn’t quite make it exactly the same, but it’s pretty close so I’m sure the taste is very similar. I think the caramelized onions give it a really good flavor and are the key to the dish.

Farmer Gal – I’m so glad it worked out for you! I’ve never had a turnip either, so maybe I’ll give your version a try one of these days. I’m so glad the whipped cream cheese worked for you. Thanks for coming back to tell me!
– Shell